Tuesday, October 31 2006

I knew this would happened, me confusing an American. I am not quite sure how to keep tab of some of these, for me anyway, amusing moments.

I had been at the new office, assembling loads of IKEA furniture and at the end of day was v tired and thirsty. Later on, we went in to a shopping center and I so wanted a Diet Coke. I found a stall but I first had to make sure that they sold Coke and not Pepsi. After that was done, I wanted to queue up and was not certain of how this queue worked so I asked:

“Sorry, am I cutting the queue?”

Reply: stare with a confused What?

Me: The queue, is this the way the queue goes or am I cutting the queue?

Reply: eeeeeeeeee … is that a a a British expression?

The guy’s friend: She means Line

Me: Ah, I see. It is called Line here. Oh Ok. Is this the way the Line goes?

Another thing to get used to is that all prices is without Sales tax! I am guessing the sales tax is different in each state. In CA it is 8,5% compared to the UK is 17,5%

And the coins … the 5 cent is much bigger then 10 cent. Dime is a 10 cent and a nickel is 5 cent?

Saturday, October 28 2006

Someone (who??? … must find out) has sat down and done a real good script to this third film. It ties up with the previous films in a superb way. And it is gruesome, like in “don’t eat before you see it”.

MH said that he thought someone actually puked in the cinema (US: theater). Me … I was busy holding my fingers in my ears to hear that. It is the sounds that I find really really scary therefore I keep holding ears.

But this film pushed my limit for visual goriness. It was a ….. let say medical procedure … that got me looking at my knees and going “oh fuck” etc.

The pace of the film is excellent and the only has one logical flaw. But thinking about it, that could be deliberate cos I got really into the film and muttering “Oh come on, just do it like that this”

Thursday, October 26 2006

Some good, some odd and some bad.

The good bit is the endless hot water supply – this is from a girl who have drained a few unsuspected hotwater tanks while taking long showers. The hotwater is real hot, good water pressure and never ending. I think you must have lived in the UK to fully understand why I appreciate this so much.

The washing machines look odd. I also find it odd (& difficult) to hear the dogs howling during the day.

Some of the bad stuff are things link to the mobile. I get charged for receiving calls! It is much more expensive here and that also goes for broadband 🙁 Another thing is it will cost $1:50 for each go on the washing machine and then another $1:50 if I want to use a dryer.

Friday, October 20 2006

Thursday, October 19 2006

They came and the signed the Lease.

I am out of the flat and they are in. This evening (staying with friends) I have been looking at the clock and wondering what are they doing now? Other then that, I have had no problem handing it over to them. One or two “this is my last night in this flat for a year” but nothing major.

I have booked my tickets to SF but I am not going to tell you when, a girl need some privacy 😉

I am so f u c k i n g tired now. I have been dragging v heavy luggage through the tube. Those stairs at Liverpool St Station is a killer and today I missed the tube with 10 sec. But I was sort ok with it cos another would come.

LOL you should have seen this morning though, I was stressed and snapped at my fellow Londoners. I was going to meet some friends at lunch and before that it was cleaning to do, bank the deposit & rent chqs and find a US=>UK adapter so that I could recharge my digital camera and finish taking all those pic of the flat (to prove the state it was left in, no sentimental reasons).

Some tourist was taking forever at the Oystercard machine (I had a neg balance and needed to sort it out before I went through the gates) people was huffing and puffing – when on the tube, zero patience is the level for most – he finally gets it done, the girl in front of me steps up to the machine sees that he has left his receipt and starts waving “Excuse me you forg…” Me: NEVERMIND, just get on with it! 15 sec she turns around ask me if I know how to get a weekly ticket Me: No, not really. She gets on with it.

I finally left the flat just before 16 and managed go on the tube before the peak traveled had started. I was secretly hoping that someone would challenge me why I had put my luggage on the seat cos I needed some “letting off steam” but no luck.

Apparently SF people are v laid back and not so direct and that is something new that I have to think of.

And oh, a bit more of my neighbor K 🙂 I hadn’t eaten anything all day yesterday and when the tenants had left, I popped over to K. I started to relax and felt how hungry I was. I asked her if she had eaten (around 23 o’clock), K: Yes. Are you hungry? Me: Yes K: I’ll make you sandwich. I have fillings, ciabatta bread. She made me a stellar sandwich. She is so the greatest neighbor ever. She fed me when in need 🙂

Monday, October 16 2006

So I have been over at my neighbor K for the last two evenings to catch up and to getting closer to the goodbyes too.

I never thought I would say this but this is a neighbor that I really really like. But first time I saw her I thought she was too mad. I was right of course 😉 but she is great.

She have this guy @ work (another office) that she is flirting more then normal with. He has made some noises about coming down to London a day or two early so we were chatting about that yesterday, about what he really meant. Girl talk.

I suggested that she should take him to this restaurant (best meat in London) and ask him if this is something that he would like. So today that had a chat on the phone and he told that he is coming down to London etc etc K then ask this super good question:

“Do you like meat?”

Aaaa, it could mean more then one thing but she meant it like “Do you eat meat?” and his answer was Yes.

K goes around to Columbia Flower Marketevery so often and last time she has bought this cool Halloween Bouquet that I took some pics of (as one does).

Monday, October 16 2006

Things are slowly moving along. The removal company picked up the boxes with some moaning that the flat was a few floors up and it did not say so on his papers. I felt for the guy carrying (dragging down the stairs) the boxes but if this was essential info then just maybe they should have asked for this when I called about the collection.

We have a person that is interested to rent the flat so we are moving along with the reference checking etc. *fingers crossed* it all will go well and this is a good tenant.

I am now looking into get the right content insurance. I called one of the main insurance company but got turned down in the quote process (!!) cos the windows had to have a key lock which we don’t.